The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/787035
56 THE WOLVERINE MARCH 2017 2017 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY LELAND MITCHINSON For Flint (Mich.) Southwestern Academy defensive lineman Deron Irving-Bey, football didn't start off as something he thought he had a fu- ture in. The opportunity to play it at the college level wasn't really on his radar, let alone a chance to do so at Michigan. When Irving-Bey grew into the sport, the big-time offers began to roll in and the Flint native began to see himself as a Wolverine, officially com- mitting Dec. 18. "Me personally, I thought when he came in as a freshman he had po- tential," Southwestern coach Chane Clingman said. "Myself along with my other coaches, we thought, here's a kid, he's got a great frame, long arms, he's already 6-foot-2 in the ninth grade. We just thought he was going to continue to grow, we just didn't know how much. "The one thing Deron had when he first came in, he had great get off. His first step was extremely quick and I said, 'Wow, if this kid can gain some weight and really get his technique down, he's got a chance to be special.' Deron maybe didn't see it, but as a coaching staff, we did." Through his final two years in high school, college coaches began to see it, too. Irving-Bey tallied 152 tackles, 21 sacks and nine forced fumbles over his junior and senior seasons. Accord- ing to Clingman, Irving-Bey comes from a football family, with his cousin Nick Matiere-Bey playing football for Ferris State this past season and Nick's younger brother a linebacker on the Southwestern team. Though football may be in Irving-Bey's family, what happened in the football world off the field was never a big concern for him. "Where Deron was green, he doesn't know the history of football," Clingman said. "Early on I remember Deron not knowing who Coach [Jim] Harbaugh or Coach [Mark] Dantonio or Coach [Brian] Kelly from another school, he didn't know who any of those guys were. "So, we're actually going on visits, to visit campuses, you know I would drive him around to most of the dif- ferent schools, and he's like 'Okay, I'm going to see who? I've never heard of that person; I don't know him.'" On the field, Irving-Bey made such a splash his senior year that he was invited to participate in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio Jan. 7. In taking the field, Irving-Bey became the first Flint, Mich., native to ever play in the game. "[It was] a tremendous, tremendous honor, not just for Deron, but for our coaching staff, our school district," Clingman said. "You know there's no secret, our school district has had some ups and downs. "We're fighting a water crisis here in Flint, and to have a kid from Flint to rise above some of the shortcom- ings and to make it to where he's able to go and play in a game like that on national TV, on a big stage against some of the best players in the coun- try, that was a tremendous honor for him." Michigan defensive line coach Greg Mattison was the point man for Irving-Bey's recruitment and really made an impression on him. The de- fensive line class for 2017 is a strong one, but there will be opportunities to be had quickly due to senior depar- tures, especially on the interior where the coaches want to start Irving-Bey. "The coaches told me I'll be playing defensive tackle to start off," Irving- Bey said. "They showed me on film how they'd use me and I think I can be good on the inside. I played [inside and on the end] in high school, so I'm going to do whatever the coaches need me to do. Coach Mattison will get me right no matter where I'm at." The opportunities at Michigan will extend beyond the field for Irving- Bey, and after spending some time on campus he was able to see exactly how he would fit in. "Every time I went to Michigan I could tell I wanted to be there," Ir- ving-Bey said. "It's a great team with a big-time program and it's a place I can be coached at. I feel like I can get to the next level at a place like Michigan. "The education is also one of the best you could get and I can get all of that close to home, so why not?" Whether Irving-Bey steps into the defense right away or takes some time to get his feet under him, the results could be beyond anyone's expecta- tions. "At Southwestern, we didn't have the luxury of playing him on one side of the ball or to really just focus on him being a defensive tackle or a de- fensive end," Clingman said. "We had to play Deron all over the place. "So, I'm sure once he gets to Michi- gan and he can focus on just one po- sition, then he's going to become a special, special player." ❏ Deron Irving-Bey Has 'A Chance To Be Special' Irving-Bey became the first Flint, Mich., native to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl Jan. 7 in San Antonio. PHOTO BY NICK LUCERO/RIVALS.COM